My Fire Hydrant

When Fiora D’Auby Kibbe founded Bideawee in 1903, she had a revolutionary idea: shelter unwanted pets until they could be placed in good homes instead of destroying them. Mrs. Kibbe was inspired to do this work after visiting Paris (France) where she had seen the Barrone d”Herpents Dog Refuge at Gennevilliers. This small French humane group sent its dog ambulance all over Paris to pick up unwanted and stray dogs. What was unique was that instead of destroying the dogs—as was the custom of the time—the group kept the dogs until new homes could be found.

Mrs. Kibbe’s humane efforts were not limited to unwanted pets. At the turn of the century, horses were the main mode of transportation. Through the efforts of Bideawee, fresh-water troughs were placed and maintained throughout the city—some of them still exist to this day.

Initially, Bideawee (“stay a while”) was located in a small building on Lexington Avenue, near Mrs. Kibbe’s home. But by 1909 there were nearly 200 dogs crammed into the makeshift space—in a very elegant residential area. The neighbors were very unhappy with the incessant barking, and Mrs. Kibbe was forced to move her shelter to Harrington, New Jersey. In 1912, after several moves, Bideawee found its own home (formerly a garage) on 38^th Street, near the East River. This was a premium location for their work because at that time people brought unwanted pets to the river to drown them.

By 1915, Bideawee was overflowing and needed more space. A property in Wantagh, Long Island was purchased. And by 1916, the spacious grounds around the Wantagh Country Home also included a beautiful Pet Memorial Park.

As the years passed, Bideawee changed with the times. The area around Wantagh evolved from rural to densely populated and once again Bideawee needed more space. In 1956 the first kennel was built on 200 acres on Old Country Road in Westhampton. This was quickly followed by a second kennel and then a cattery. By 1966 a new adoption center was opened and a second Pet Memorial Park was established in Westhamption.

Today, Bideawee is one of the oldest and largest humane organizations in the United States. And Mrs. Kibbe is regarded as a pioneer in the “no-kill” movement.

Programs and Services

• Two Adoption Centers: Manhattan and Westhampton, NY; all pets receive a complete medical exam, socialization or basic training, spay/neuter, micro-chip.
• Second Start Program: Bideawee staff visit overwhelmed municipal shelters on a regular basis to rescue pets about to be euthanized due to lack of space/resources giving them a second chance at a new home. .
• Veterinary Medical Services: a fully equipped medical center in both adoption center locations provides affordable, high quality care for the pets living in the centers as well as pets living in the vicinity.
• Veterinary Medical Assistance Fund: gives assistance to private pet clients to offset the high costs associated with emergency treatment, catastrophic illness, or other special medical care when they might not otherwise be able to afford vet care for their pets.
• Three Learning Centers: Located in Manhattan, Westhampton, and Wantagh offer educational programs that promote healthy, positive relationships between people and pets of all ages.
• Reading to Dogs: Reading to a non-judgmental, non-critical, and loving four-footed friend helps children with reading challenges become better readers
• Doga: Yoga for dogs brings dog and owner together for a relaxing session of massage and stretch. Regular sessions are held at both Learning Centers
• Pet Therapy: Bideawee trained pet therapy pairs bring the healing effect of pets to schools, youth centers, homeless shelters, nursing homes and hospitals in the NYC and Long Island regions.
• Pet Behavioral Training: at all three sites; group and private classes as well as “Ask the Trainer” sessions at community events help pet owners better understand and communicate with their pets.
• Humane Education: Trained volunteers help teach responsible pet ownership, pet safety, training, animal health, licensing, and ethical animal treatment.
• Pet Memorial Parks: at Westhampton and Wantagh; two of the oldest (1916) and largest (over 65,000 pets) parks offer a final resting place for cherished animal companions and include the support and guidance of compassionate Bideawee staff and counselors.
• Bereavement Counseling: Pet loss support groups meet on a regular basis to help pet owners deal with their loss.
• Dog Park: located in Westhampton, is “Love Unleashed.”
• Locations & Hours of Operations

2009 Stats

• 1,176 Adoptions
• 645 Second Start Rescues
• 275 Volunteers
• 113 Pet Therapy Pairs
• 28 Reading to Dogs Program Locations
• 13,791 Veterinary, Shelter and Private Pet Patients
• 1,093 Pet Memorial Park Interments and Cremations

Some very exciting news! Our second annual “Behind the Paw” summit is scheduled for next week! We’ve invited a furbulous group of pet community advocates and anipals to come for a visit to learn more about P&G Pet Care. We’ll be tweeting about it–if you’re on Twitter be sure to watch for #BehindThePaw to get updates. Here’s a preview of what’s happening!

My boss, Jason, with one of the celebrity presenters at the press conference.

Here’s another reason why I love where I work. This past Thursday, my boss Jason Taylor was in New York City where he donated 15 tons of Iams and Eukanuba dog and cat food to the Food Bank for New York City.

The Food Bank is an incredible organization. They’ve been around for 28 years, working to end poverty. Not only do they distribute food to needy families, provide income support and training, they also offer nutritional education to children and adults. Each day, they provide 400,000 free meals for New Yorkers in need.

Why is my boss giving them dog and cat food? To feed the dogs and cats of people who cannot afford to buy dog and cat food.

We’ve partnered with VCA Charities Pet Program to launch a 6-month pet food distribution program for needy New York pets through the Food Bank for New York City. We’re providing food. VCA is providing certificates for wellness checkups at their VCA hospitals in the New York City area.

Lucy Cabrera, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Food Bank For NYC said, “In the midst of a jobless economic recovery, escalating food and fuel costs, today three million New York City residents are having difficulty affording food. That certainly means there is little or nothing left to feed their beloved pets. We truly want to thank the Iams and VCA Charities for recognizing the urgent need to keep families together and for helping our client’s pets stay healthy and hearty.”

I’m so glad we were able to help launch this program!

More photos.

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In the middle of the front row, in the green Iams shirt, is my buddy Leah. She's taking a pledge for $1,000.00!

So much fun today! We (Iams) helped out at the SPCA Cincinnati’s 15^th annual Adopt-A-Pet Fund telethon. We were LIVE on Cincinnati’s Channel 12 WKRC! And the telethon brought $111,830.00 in donations to help the SPCA! (And you can still donate!)

You may remember that back in September we (the employees of Iams/Eukanuba) did a shelter make-over at one of the SPCA Cincinnati’s two locations (here’s a slide show of photos I found while writing this post).

Founded in 1873, originally to abolish the inhumane treatment of horses and mules, the SPCA Cincinnati serves an area of approximately 500 square miles that has a population of over 900,000 people. They are totally funded by private donations—no tax money or government funding! And what an incredible job they do!

• They operate from 2 locations where thousands of orphaned pets are matched up with qualified families every year.

• Their Companion Animal Access Program (CAAP) certifies dogs to be pet therapy dogs allowing them to visit hospitals and nursing homes to cheer up people who might need some canine love and put a smile on their face.

• Their staff and volunteers visit Cincinnati schools and organizations to teach about animal welfare, pet responsibility, and pet safety. They raise awareness of the positive benefits of having a pet in your life, and promote the need for spay/neuter.

• They offer basic dog training classes.

• They have full-time Humane Agents to investigate cases of animal cruelty.

• They offer a 24/7 Emergency Service that transports injured and sick wild or lost companion pets to local veterinary hospitals for treatment.

To help raise money for this very worthy organization, several of my teammates made the trek to the TV studios of Local 12 WKRC-TV. WKRC is very supportive of the SPCA. Not only did the station host the telethon today, they have SPCA Adopt-a-Pet segments on Tuesdays at 4 p.m., Wednesdays at 7:45 a.m. and Saturdays at 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. They also co-sponsor the SPCA’s Mobil Adoption Unit.

Today’s telethon had a beach party theme with lots of local personalities and celebrities dressed for a day at the beach in flowered shirts, shorts, and sandals. There was a beautiful ocean-front background and “sandy” carpet. We heard lots of wonderful stories about successful adoptions along with photos of some beautiful adopted and adoptable pets. And one of my favorite people (and an Iams’ veterinarian) Dr. Amy Dicke, appeared on camera to talk about dental care and digestive care for dogs and cats. Another friend of mine, Deborah Brundage (we call her Debo) appeared on camera to present a donation check on behalf of Iams. Live music (lovin’ those beach tunes!), nice people, and a great cause!

What a fabulous way to spend a Saturday morning!

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Some good news in my Google mailbag today! Okey’s Promise which I wrote about last week has been fully funded through contributions from the online pet community. How cool is that! In her email Vicki–AKA the artists BZTAT–says:

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to each and every person who pledged to the cause. Whatever the size of your pledge, you are each very special to me, as you have helped to make this crazy dream of mine come to fruition.

This is really good news! For the rest of the story, click this link.

This is a call to action: Here’s how you can Be The Change in just a few short minutes.

One of my favorite artists, Vicki Boatright–or @BZTAT as she’s usually known in the online pet community–is working on a project to raise awareness of the connection between child abuse and animal abuse. Okey’s Promise, her project, is named for the tiny abused cat that BZTAT recently rescued.

Starting in her home town of Canton, Ohio, Vicki plans on creating a highly visible public mural featuring a child, a dog, and a cat to remind us of those who are most vulnerable in our society. Her hope is to spark a local dialogue regarding the issues of child and animal abuse. This local effort will be backed by a national media campaign to serve as a catalyst for a wider discussion of the issues through the commission of additional murals in other communities. Vicki says:

“The issue of pet abuse and abandonment is deeply connected to the issue of child abuse and domestic violence. Both issues need to be addressed together, not one in isolation of the other…Creating artwork that is highly visible to the community has a greater chance of connecting the dots for people. It is easy to ignore a fact sheet, but hard to dismiss a powerful public artwork that reaches out to you each day as you drive by it.”

Here’s the part where you can Be the Change: Make a donation so Vicki can make her project happen. Every dollar helps–we go farther and the road is easier with a little bit of help from a lot of people–so give what you can afford.

Wouldn’t you like to have one of BZTAT’s murals in your community?

Iams Home 4 the Holidays 2010 has officially concluded. Though we did not make it to 1.5 million, we DID help over 1.1 million pet find furever homes! Here’s how it broke down:

• 593,146 dogs
• 509,470 cats
• 23,051 other animals

We also are going to be donating over 5 MILLION meals to all of our Iams Home 4 the Holidays participating organizations!

I have a wrap-up blog post in the works. More soon.

This is an amazingly silly video done by an incredibly talented musician–with the help of some incredibly talented animals! Maybe you’ve seen it? Or some of his other work? He has a YouTube Channel and a Facebook page.

Best of all, he’s Canadian!!

Andrew Grantham, I salute you!!

Be sure you check out his other videos–you’ll be ROTFL! The man is brilliant!

Representatives of Iams Home 4 the Holidays rang the closing bell today at the New York Stock Exchange. Oh, I wish I coulda been there!!

Here’s a link to the NYSE video showing today’s closing bell.  It only a couple minutes long—and OH SO CUTE!!

Iams Home 4 the Holidays Adoption Angel Jack Nazarian and his pup Jane, second left, representatives of the Helen Woodward Animal Center and adoptable puppies and kittens from Bideawee animal organization in New York rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange to celebrate the Iams Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption campaign Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010 in New York. The campaign, which began on Oct. 1 2010, aims to raise awareness about pet adoption, place 1.5 million pets in happy homes and donate 5 million meals to homeless pets by Jan. 4, 2011. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, Iams)

Iams Home 4 the Holidays Celebrates the Holiday Season and Raises Awareness for Pet Adoption; Nedra Abramson of Helen Woodward Animal Center; Nancy Lynn Taylor, President and CEO of Bideawee Inc along with orphaned dogs and cats ring the Closing Bell at the NYSE. Source: NYSE Euronext / Valerie Caviness

Christabelle, an adoptable dog, poses at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

Source: NYSE Euronext / Valerie Caviness

(L-R) Neelam S. Modi, Iams Brand Manager; Nedra Abramson of Helen Woodward Animal Center; Nancy Lynn Taylor, President and CEO of Bideawee Inc. Source: NYSE Euronext / Valerie Caviness

Source: NYSE Euronext / Valerie Caviness

Source: NYSE Euronext / Valerie Caviness

Maddy Callahan holds Christabelle at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

Maddy, Claire and Jane Callahan hold kittens from Bideawee Animal Organization at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

From left, Neelam Modi and Yeechin Harvey, both from Iams, Ronald Taylor of Bideawee, Nedra Abramson of Helen Woodward, Alex Harris and Nancy Taylor, both of Bideawee, and Kathleen Flynn and Steve Flynn, both of Helen Woodward, pose at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

From left, Nedra Abramson of Helen Woodward, Yeechin Harvey of Iams, Jack Nazarian and his dog Jane, Nancy Taylor of Bideawee and Neelam Modi of Iams pose at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

Yeechin Harvey of Iams holds Liam, a kitten from Bideawee Animal Organization at the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Dec 23, 2010.

2009

To raise awareness for pet adoption, the folks at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) have invited some of my Home 4 the Holidays buddies to ring today’s closing bell! This is the 5^th year that we’ve participated in the bell ringing—and you can watch it today LIVE on the NYSE web site!  Live steaming will start at 3:59 PM EST.

Representing Iams Home 4 the Holidays on the NYSE podium will be our friends from the Helen Woodward Animal Center and Bideawee. Joining the group will be our Adoption Angel Jack and his pooch Jane (Jack adopted Jane from Bideawee). Rounding out this group are Yeechin and Neelam, two of my teammates from Iams (I am SO jealous that they got to go!)

My good buddy, Nancy Taylor (who runs Bideawee) will also bring some of Bideawee’s adoptable orphans. They’ll be down on the trading floor prior to the bell-ringing looking for perspective pet parents. Last year, all the orphaned dogs and cats that came for the bell ringing were adopted by folks on the trading floor (after going through Bideawee’s standard adoption process, of course). I hope that happens this year, too!

Someone will be taking photos—and I’ll post them here as soon as I get them.

Livestreaming of the closing bell begins TODAY at 3:59 PM EST. The bell gets rung at 4:00 PM EST. Be sure to set whatever alarm you have handy so that you can tune in and see the NYSE go to the dogs (and cats)!

More details are on the press release on the NYSE site.

Oh how I wish I could be there!

[Edited at 3:39 pm to add photo of Jane]

Jane going to the NYSE (swiped it from the Iams Facebook page).

[Edited at 4:34 pm to add this link]

A fabulous video clip on CNBC: Lend a Paw for Pet Adoption!